History of Faywood Hot Springs

Faywood Hot Springs is a unique natural geothermal resource and a true desert oasis. The 130 degree F. water flows from the top of a tufa dome, 5020'above sea level. Over the eons, this dome was created by flowing mineral waters deposited on the nearly flat desert floor. This unusual geological phenomenon is a remnant of violent volcanic episodes occurring 20-45 million years ago, when nearby City of Rocks State Park was formed.

Prehistoric peoples, explorers, travelers, soldiers, miners, a professional baseball team, and visitors from around the world have found respite here. To the native Americans, this was a sacred healing place. Circular depressions (mortar holes) in the tufa dome suggest very early use of the springs by these peoples. Pottery and artifacts found nearby indicate that the Mimbres poeple knew these waters, as did the later Apaches.

Northbound Spanish explorers in the mid-1500's were probably the first western visitors at the springs. In the mid-1800's several stage lines stopped at the hot springs long enough for the passengers to bathe. Later it became a well-known stop for travelers on the westward migration to California.

Colonel Richard Hudson visited the hot springs in 1870 to seek relief from gout. His speedy recovery was so remarkable that he decided to purchase the property and share these waters with others suffering from various ailments. The fifty-room Hudson Hotel was built in 1876 (serving as a stop for the stage route from Mesilla to Silver City). Unfortunately, the hotel was completely destroyed by fire in 1892.

In 1894 Andrew Graham purchased the hot springs and constructed Casa de Consuelo (House of Comfort), a sixty-room hotel which was reputed to be the most luxurious in the New Mexico Territory at the time.

At the turn of the century, T.C. McDermott visited the hot springs in the hope of alleviating terrible stomach ulcers. He quickly recovered and returned to buy the property with his partners, J. C. Fay and William Lockwood (whose combined names created "Faywood"). McDermott soon became sole proprietor and continued to operate the fancy hotel. He swore by the healthful properties of the water which he bottled and sold. He drank the water daily and lived at the springs to the ripe old age of 96.

While the 1890's marked the peak of America's faith in the healthful qualities of hot springs, Faywood enjoyed its most popular period in the early 1900's. It was an important social center for Silver City and Deming residents during the 1930's and early 1940's. As the number of visitors declined, the once-luxurious hotel deteriorated and began to lose its glitter to the dimming influence of age. It was razed in 1951.

Soon after McDermott died, the property changed hands several times until Kennecott Copper acquired it in 1966.

In 1993 Faywood Hot Springs was purchased from the mining company by Wanda Fuselier and Elon Yurwit, who have embarked on an extensive rebuilding project.